When Windows Vista was launched, the Free Software Foundation started its BadVista campaign, which was aimed at informing users about what the FSF considered user-restrictive features in Vista. Luckily for the FSF, Vista didn't really need a bad-mouthing campaign to fail. Now that Windows 7 is receiving a lot of positive press, the FSF dusted off the BadVista drum, and gave it a fresh coat of paint.

Other than some well publicized, and rather old, attacks like Balmer's "cancer" quote, MS doesn't seem to do a whole lot of that publicly. Certainly not as much as certain members of the FS community do it to MS. And that really does put us in a bad light. Attacking our opponents just makes our own offerings look weak, and calls into question our motives. Best that everyone stick to promoting our own stuff, even if the other guy does attack us from time to time. People recognize when you are taking the high road. And they recognize mudslinging when they see it, too.